Stealing Time

CHAPTER 49

T

hey were all crowded in the kitchen, peering out the window into the shady backyard with the two big oak trees and the dogwood that was still in bloom. Nanci had come in to get some formula for the baby. She took a bottle from the six remaining on the kitchen counter, twisted off the cap, and replaced it with a sterilized nipple. Anton Popescu walked around the house, searching for a way in. Frankie followed him from window to window, ending up by the back door, guarded by Joey. The top half of the door was glass, partially covered with a white, see-through curtain. The four people inside had a good view as Anton rattled the knob and rapped on the glass, his face distorted by rage.

"Let me in! What's the matter with you people?" he cried.

"Look at that asshole," Joey muttered.

"You're no cop," Milton said through the window.

"I just want to talk to you. What's the big deal?"

"You can talk when the cops get here," Milton replied.

"What cops?" Anton was undeterred.

"The cops are looking for you. So hang around, you'll get arrested," Milton said.

"I didn't do anything. Come on, be smart. Let me come in and talk to you. I don't have any weapons. How could it hurt you to hear what I have to say?"

Seconds passed. Milton and Anton assessed each other. No one else moved.

"What's your problem?" Anton cried through the door. "I just want to talk."

"Let him in," Nanci said suddenly.

"Yeah, let's let him in. We'll make a citizen's arrest," Frankie agreed.

"Just keep your shirt on." Milton turned to Nanci. "Why do you want him in here?"

"I want to talk to the man who killed my cousin," she said, eyes narrowed at the man behind the curtain.

"Are you crazy?" Milton said. "Why?"

"There are four of us. What's he going to do?" she said.

"If he has a gun he could kill us all." Milton put his arm around his wife's shoulders. "Be reasonable."

"He came in a limo. Be reasonable yourself, Milton. What's he going to do, shoot us and get back in the car?" Nanci reached up and squeezed the hand on her shoulder, then kissed the baby's head.

"What can he do, scare us to death?" Joey laughed.

"Yeah," Frankie seconded.

Milton shook his head at them. "You're all nuts." Still, he went over and unlocked the door. Nanci was holding the bottle. The baby was bobbing his head at her chest, whimpering for food. She backed away to the living room entrance, her face pale.

"Go ahead, let him in," she whispered.

But Anton had heard the bolt turn in the lock. He plunged through the door before Milton had a chance to open it for him. Inside he stopped, squared his shoulders, and examined the four adults one by one. "I'm Anton Popescu," he said momentously.

Joey circled him, gave him a few little exploratory shoves.

Anton was solid; he didn't move. But his face reddened. He addressed Milton. "Who's the boss here? You?"

"Yeah, sure, this is my house. You wanted in, you're in. What do you want?"

"I want to talk, that's all. Why the gun?" He glared at Joey.

Milton's hands snaked out to Joey's pocket; he felt the bulge there and groaned. "Shit. Joey, I said no guns. Go outside." He pointed at the door.

"Aw, please," Joey raised his hands in supplication. "If he behaves, I won't touch it. How's that?"

"You can't be armed and stay in here with the baby. Go on outside, cover the back door."

"Go on," Frankie told him.

Joey gave his friend a hurt look and went out the door.

"Come on in here." Milton waved his arm for Anton to go into the living room. Then he whispered at Nanci to take the baby and go upstairs. Instead, she went into the living room, settled in the rocking chair by the fireplace, and teased the baby's lips with the nipple. The baby took it and started sucking. Milton frowned at her, but she was busy and didn't notice.

Anton made himself comfortable in an armchair before he began speaking. No longer upset by the thug with the gun in his pocket, he radiated confidence. "I want to thank you for taking care of my son Paul this week. He looks great."

"You barge in here saying you're a cop when you're not a cop. Now you say the baby is yours. You sound like a liar to me." Milton stood in the center of the living room. Frankie hung out by the front door. Anton seemed undaunted by the hostile atmosphere.

"I have to take him back now," he said evenly. "I'd be glad to give you some compensation for your trouble."

"He's not yours. He's not going anywhere," Milton said.

"I'm afraid he is, and I want to do this in as gentlemanly a way as possible."

Milton almost laughed. "You must be crazy. You're not taking our baby."

"I said I would compensate you for your trouble."

"How much?" Nanci asked.

"Nanci!" Milton flared up. He exchanged glances with Frankie. Frankie had already lost his patience. He was moving around nervously, a sign of imminent attack.

Nanci stopped chewing on her lip. She had two strong men in the room. She wasn't afraid of Anton's bluster. "I want to know how much the baby's worth to him."

Anton gave her a big smile. "How much do you want?" he asked affably.

Nanci glared at him. "No price. He's my own blood, my cousin's baby. How could anyone put a price on him? I just want to know how far you'd go."

Anton nodded at her, then at Milton. "I understand how you feel. I'm prepared to be generous with you."

"How generous?"

Milton took over. "Yeah, don't play games with us. What kind of offer are you making?"

Anton looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"For the death of my cousin," Nanci told him calmly.

"That was unfortunate." Anton rearranged his face to look sympathetic.

"It's more than unfortunate for me," Nanci murmured, stroking the baby's forehead with a finger as he drank.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but I didn't have anything to do with it. That's a separate issue."

"Not to me."

"What do you expect from me?" Now Anton's face was that of a negotiator. It looked open, flexible. He had his eye on the suckling baby.

Nanci had her eye on the hall clock. She still thought help was on the way. Milton moved from the center of the room to his wife's side.

"We want Lin's murderer punished, that's all."

Anton shifted in his chair. "Look, I can see there's been an unfortunate misunderstanding here. Paul belongs to me and my wife. She's his mother, I'm his father. There's no room for negotiation about this. I don't have any choice here; I have to take him back where he belongs."

There was a silence for a few seconds; then Joey burst in from the kitchen. "This guy is an asshole. Look at what he did to Nanci's cousin. I'm not sitting still for this. Let's take care of him." He appealed to Frankie.

Milton responded, "I thought I told you to stay outside."

"Joey, you're not related," Frankie put in. "It's not for you to say what punishment is correct."

Anton propelled himself out of the chair. "Hey, I just came for my baby. You touch me and I'll prosecute you," he said sharply.

Joey moved a step closer to him, threatening. "Oh, we're really scared of a guy who rapes and kills little girls."

"Okay, that's enough." Milton crossed the room and took Joey's arm. Frankie joined them. From far away there came the faint sound of a police siren.

Nanci let out the breath she'd been holding. April was there. Thank God, it was over. She cuddled the tiny baby who'd caused so much turmoil. He was feeding, unconcerned, in her arms.

With the three men in a huddle by the front door, Anton moved, in one step, to where she sat with the baby. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm really sorry. I didn't expect it to end like this."

The other men had been threatening. This one seemed finally to be intimidated by the siren. He really appeared to be coming over to apologize to her. Earlier, he'd been aggressive but normal. He'd never acted like a killer or a rapist. He'd just acted the bully, like a lot of men did. And now he was deflated by the arrival of the police. Nanci didn't have time to adjust her grip on the feeding baby. In fact, she didn't think of it. She thought Anton was sorry. He stood beside her, leaned over her, and in a second he'd taken the baby out of her arms and was headed out the back door with him.